Matt Le Blanc breaks silence on Matthew Perry’s death in heartbreaking tribute to his Friends co-star

Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing in Friends

Matt Le Blanc paid a heartbreaking tribute to his former Friends co-star Matthew Perry.

The actor, who played Chandler Bing in the hit US sitcom, was found dead at his Los Angeles home last month, aged 54.

Soon after, his Matt and his fellow Friends cast members Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow And David Schwimmer shared a short statement expressing their utter devastation over Matthew’s death, explaining that they would share more over time.

Today, in a post shared to Instagram, Matt – who plays Matthew’s on-screen best friend Joey Tribbiani – shared his own personal sadness with his 9.3 million followers.

Sharing a photo of them as Joey and Chandler, Matt wrote: “Matthew. It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye. The times we had together were honestly some of the favorite times of my life.

“It was an honor to share the stage with you and call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I will never forget you. Ever.

“Spread your wings and fly, my brother, you are finally free. Full of love.”

He then jokingly added, “And I guess you keep the $20 you owe me.”

The rest of the Friends cast said in their joint statement: “We are all deeply devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are family.

“There is so much to say, but for now, we will take a moment to grieve and come to terms with this unfathomable loss.

“We will say more as time goes on, when we are able. For now, our thoughts and love are with Matty’s family, friends and all those who loved him around the world.”

Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry with James Corden during the filming of the Friends Reunion special

Jennifer, Lisa, Courteney, Matt and David were among those reportedly attending Matthew’s intimate funeral for close family and friends earlier this month.

The six co-stars were propelled to global fame when they were cast as a group of 20-somethings navigating life and love in New York City in Friends in 1994.

The group formed a close bond during their 10 years working on the American sitcom, even coming together to collectively negotiate their salaries after discovering they were being paid different amounts during the show’s early years.

In his 2022 memoir, Friend, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing, Matthew also spoke about the support he received from them as he battled his addiction issues.

The six cast members were last seen together in the show’s delayed 2021 reunion special celebrating the show’s 25th anniversary, which saw them look back on some of Friends’ most iconic moments.

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